Duterte to US forces: Get out of southern Philippines

Duterte did not give a timeframe for when US troops should leave Mindanao [RTVM - Philippine state television]

Manila, Philippines - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has told American special forces to leave Mindanao, blaming their presence in the southern region for the continuing conflict, while signalling his desire to "reorient" the country's foreign policy vis-a-vis the United States.

Just days after declaring that the Philippines "will pursue an independent foreign policy", Duterte said on Monday in a rambling speech from the presidential palace.

"For as long as we stay with America, we will never have peace in that land [Mindanao]. We might as well give it up.

"So, those [American] special forces, they have to go. They have to go. In Mindanao, there are so many American [troops] there. They have to go. We will reorient our foreign policy."

On Tuesday, Perfecto Yasay, the foreign affairs secretary, told ABS-CBN News Channel that "there is no shift in so far as our policy is concerned, with respect to our close friendship with the Americans".

For decades, the Philippines had hosted major US naval and air bases. Current laws, however, prohibit that.

Still, executive agreements with previous presidents allow visiting US forces, to conduct joint military exercises with the Filipino troops.